Throw shuriken and test the hidden mechanisms of a trick house to get a feel for the skills and wits of the ninja. Besides Iga in Mie and Koka in Shiga, famous as the home villages of the ninja, you can also enjoy it in Togakushi in Nagano, Shinjuku in Tokyo and Noboribetsu in Hokkaido.
Iga and Koka are recognized as Japan Heritage under the title "Shinobi no Sato Iga & Koka: In Search of the Real Ninja." The Koka ninja were local samurai known as the "Koka-shu," said to have been a group that defended their region during the age of civil war, and in 1676 the Bansenshukai, a compilation of the ninjutsu of Iga and Koka, was written. At the experience facilities you first see the tricks of a ninja house and displays of ninja tools, then try throwing shuriken and moving like a ninja yourself.
Places introduced on official tourism sites of local governments and tourism associations. Check each official site for prices, hours and booking.
📍 Iga, Mie
A museum in Ueno Park with a ninja house where kunoichi (female ninja) demonstrate the hidden tricks, a Ninjutsu Experience Hall and a Ninja Legacy Hall. You can also watch ninjutsu demonstration shows and try throwing shuriken.
💡 The ninjutsu demonstration show costs extra and has days off. You can throw shuriken without paying museum admission. About a 10-minute walk from Uenoshi Station on the Iga Railway.
📍 Koka, Shiga
A facility in Koka, home village of the ninja. Tour a trick house relocated from the Fujibayashi family residence and the Koka Ninjutsu Museum, then experience ninja training at the shuriken dojo and on athletic courses such as wall climbing and crossing water.
💡 Closed on Mondays. A free shuttle runs from Koka Station on the JR Kusatsu Line; call to request a pickup when you arrive at the station.
📍 Nagano, Nagano
A facility right by the Okusha Iriguchi bus stop in Togakushi. It has an escape-game-like trick house, exhibits on ninja tools and ninpo, a shuriken dojo and an outdoor athletic course.
💡 Closed in winter. In 2026 it is open until November 23, and it may close temporarily when it snows. Closed on Wednesdays.
📍 Shinjuku, Tokyo
A small-group experience facility in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. A ninja guide tells you about ninja tools and tricks, and you can try throwing steel shuriken and swordplay with a replica sword. It takes about 40 minutes.
💡 Booking is recommended, but you can get in on the day if there is space. Guidance is also available in simple English. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
📍 Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
A theme park in Noboribetsu where you can enjoy the world of the ninja through the ninja show at the Ninja Kasumi Mansion, the Ninja Kaikai Maze and the shuriken-throwing dojo.
💡 From November 1 to March 19 the park closes early, at 16:00. It is easy to combine with sightseeing in Noboribetsu Onsen.
👘 7 placesTokyo & Around ・ Chubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai
At a kimono rental shop you pick a pattern you love, get dressed by the staff, and head straight out to stroll historic streets. Specialist shops cluster in towns with old streetscapes, temples and shrines, such as Asakusa in Tokyo, Higashiyama in Kyoto, the Higashi Chaya District in Kanazawa and Kamakura. Many shops also offer yukata in summer, so you can enjoy a different look each season.
🍵 7 placesTokyo & Around ・ Chubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai
In a tea room you watch the host's otemae (tea preparation), enjoy wagashi (Japanese sweets) and matcha, and then try whisking matcha yourself. Beginners and overseas travelers can easily join in Uji, home of Uji tea, in Kyoto city, in Kanazawa with its deep-rooted tea culture, and in Ginza, Tokyo.
🍡 6 placesChubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai ・ Chugoku & Shikoku
Learn from wagashi artisans and instructors as you shape jo-namagashi (fine fresh confections) such as nerikiri (sweet bean paste confections) with your own hands. You can easily join in Kyoto and Kanazawa, where tea culture runs deep, and in Matsue and Izumo, known as wagashi towns.
🍣 5 placesTokyo & Around ・ Chubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai
Under the guidance of chefs and instructors, you make nigiri and rolled sushi or hand-made soba noodles yourself and enjoy them on the spot. Classes are easy to join everywhere, from city-center studios in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto to soba country such as Togakushi in Nagano and Nikko in Tochigi.
🖌️ 6 placesTokyo & Around ・ Kansai ・ Chugoku & Shikoku
Using a brush and ink, you practice your favorite kanji or your own name on hanshi practice paper, then write a final copy on shikishi (a decorative square board). Studios in Ginza and Yushima in Tokyo and in a Kyoto machiya townhouse welcome beginners and overseas travelers, while in Nara and Kumano, Hiroshima, you can also get hands-on with making the ink and brushes that calligraphy depends on.
💐 5 placesTokyo & Around ・ Kansai
Arrange seasonal flowers and branches in a vase and discover a uniquely Japanese sense of beauty through ikebana. You can try it at places that welcome beginners and overseas travelers, including Ikenobo at Rokkakudo in Kyoto, considered the birthplace of ikebana, the Sogetsu Kaikan in Tokyo and small studios in Osaka.
🏺 6 placesTokyo & Around ・ Chubu & Hokuriku ・ Chugoku & Shikoku ・ Kyushu
In the regions where artisans have handed down their skills, you can try pottery, indigo dyeing, gold leaf application, Edo Kiriko cut glass and papermaking with your own hands. From Mashiko and Arita ceramics to Edo Kiriko in Tokyo, Kanazawa gold leaf, Mino washi and Tokushima indigo, workshops and public facilities around Japan welcome first-timers.
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Use your whole body to beat taiko drums large and small, and feel the sound and rhythm resonate deep in your chest. Besides dedicated studios in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, you can try it on Sado Island, home base of the taiko performing group Kodo, and in Hamamatsu, home to a long-established taiko maker.
🧘 6 placesTokyo & Around ・ Chubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai
Zazen (seated meditation) in a Zen temple and shakyo, copying a sutra one character at a time, are temple experiences that let you calm your mind in the middle of your travels. Temples that welcome first-timers include Eiheiji, head temple of the Soto school; Engakuji and Kenchoji, among the Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura; Tofukuji and Ryosokuin in Kyoto; and Yakushiji in Nara.
Place information is based on official tourism sites of local governments and tourism associations and on each place’s official site. Experiences and availability may change.
Checked: 2026-10-24
